Nearsightedness (Myopia) is a refractive error that makes far-away objects look blurry. It happens when the shape of the eye makes light focus in front of the retina (a light sensitive layer of tissue in the back of your eye), instead of on it.

If you’re nearsighted, your eye doctor can prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses to help you see clearly.

The most common symptoms of nearsightedness are:

• Trouble seeing things that are far away

• Needing to squint to see clearly

• Eye strain (when your eyes feel tired or sore)

• Some people who are nearsighted get headaches, but this isn’t as common.

If you have mild nearsightedness, you may not notice any symptoms. That’s why it’s important to get regular eye exams — so your doctor can make sure you’re seeing as clearly as possible.

People who have severe nearsightedness (also called high myopia) may also be at higher risk for other eye conditions, like retinal detachment (when the retina is pulled away from its normal position).¹

The prevalence of myopia has been increasing rapidly in recent decades, particularly in countries with high educational standards.. The prevalence of high myopia has also been rising; with the increasingly early onset of myopia, this leaves more time for progression to occur. The increased prevalence of high myopia is expected to lead to increases in a number of potentially blinding conditions, such a retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, choroidal neo-vascularization, staphyloma, and a range of other conditions covered by the term pathological myopia, which result in uncorrectable loss of vision. Myopia is therefore becoming an important public health concern worldwide.²

Most previous epidemiologic studies in China, and in most other countries, report that the prevalence of myopia increases with age. The present situation in China is that in children five years of age, the prevalence of myopia is less than 2%, it reaches about 30% in 10-year-olds, and about 80% in 15-year-olds. As a result, it has often been assumed that children naturally become more myopic as they get older, and age is reported to be a major risk factor in most previous myopia-related research. However, grade has a major impact on exposures to increased near-work and reduced time outdoors, with a tendency for near-work to increase and time outdoors to decrease with increasing grade.²

Myopia typically starts and progresses during childhood, but onset and progression can occur during adulthood. Adult-onset myopia is common, representing a third or more of all myopia in western populations, but less in East Asia, where onset during childhood is high.³

Childhood or juvenile-onset myopia begins when the human eye is still growing. Onset most commonly occurs between 8 and 13 years, with some variation across races and populations. In contrast, adult-onset myopia and progression occur in eyes for which normal eye growth has ceased.³

Adult myopia onset and progression is common among adults aged 18 to 25 years, particularly among students enrolled in the most intensive study programs (e.g. optometry, medical, and law). The frequency of progression appears similar among Europeans and Asians. Non-university populations also show adult myopia progression, although the rates appear lower. Likelihood of progression declines with increasing age.³